Never Ask for Money!

Four Steps To Greater Fundraising Success

A values-based strategy that aims to match donors with ways that they can give back to their communities—and removes the ego factor that can make fundraising scary.

I admire those fundraisers who have credentials and degrees in development. I also respect those who have digested every Chronicle of Philanthropy article, remembered every Major Gifts tidbit, and studied all the valuable and informative Association of Fundraising Professionals periodicals. Sadly, I am not one of them.

Self-taught and thrust into fundraising with no background, I always wished I was more learned in the subject. Instead, I figured it out the hard way, as many of us do, having made my share of mistakes. Beginning with grant proposals and eventually graduating to auction items and table underwriting solicitations, there finally came a time when I actually had to ask for money. Yikes! Who knew one could have flu-like symptoms at the thought of asking for money?!

Eight years and $43 million fundraising dollars later, here is the street-smart fundraising philosophy I came up with:

Don't ask for money...ever!

As a former vice-president of development and now as a chorus president/executive director, I choose not to view my job as asking for money. Instead, I really do believe that I am a matchmaker whose job it is to introduce a vehicle through which kind, generous people may want to give back to their communities. I am providing a service. It's not about me, or my chorus's financial need, or my carefully crafted gift chart, or even that line item for which I am held accountable. Miraculously, this self-less focus removes the ego factor and makes fundraising much less scary.

I enthusiastically share my love of choral music with others who may or may not share the same passion. If they do, it's a wonderful match. If they don't, I release them from my prospect list to find another cause that is a better match for them. Then I move on.

I enthusiastically share my love of choral music with others who may or may not share the same passion. If they do, it's a wonderful match. If they don't, I release them from my prospect list to find another cause that is a better match for them.

After my years of learning out of necessity, I have developed a four-step fundraising process that even I can remember. I share it in hopes that you will avoid some of my mistakes. Admittedly, this fundraising tapestry is woven from personal experiences and pieced together with tidbits remembered from too-hastily-skimmed articles and sound bites heard at wonderful presentations by some of the great minds of fundraising. So I don't claim proprietary rights to this process; I only claim that it works.

STEP 1: Ask Yourself These Questions

Why do you love choral music? Forget, for a moment, the well-documented benefits of hearing, performing, and educating others about music. Why do you love choral music? How has it changed your life? If you can share a few memories and recall genuine emotion, even better.

What does your chorus value? Name three core values that guide all of your activities and that are at the heart of your organization. Use single words or phrases from your mission and vision statements, such as: artistic excellence, diversity, education, connectedness, legacy, community, etc. Most prospective donors already know what they value and these values are the basis for their giving.

It is helpful to use values as the basis of your prospect lists, and not simply personal wealth. While seductive, it's ultimately more time-consuming and less productive to begin with affluence as the primary qualifier. I've spent many hours strategizing over a list of wealthy people who, ultimately, have no interest in choral music.

You can learn a lot about people and what they value by looking through their checkbooks! After a quick peek at my own, the following personal values emerge:

1. Quality childcare (after-school care, babysitters, clothes, Playstation games, summer camps, extracurricular activities, field trips, organic fruit—okay, I made that last one up)

2. Personal and professional growth (conference attendance, Curves, church activities, tennis lessons, cultural event attendance, etc.)

3. Rejuvenation and relaxation (vacations, the occasional pedicure, dining out, movies, shopping...I can justify anything...)

What do you value?

By the way, did you notice that I didn't suggest representing your conductor as the heart of your organization or a core value? We all know that it's simply not healthy for an organization to revolve around any one person—be it conductor, executive director, or board chairman. Sustainable, successful solicitations are values-based, not personnel-based. Everyone and everything serves the values, not the other way around.

Now that you can articulate why music is important to you and what your chorus values, you are ready to begin developing your relationships—new and previously existing.

STEP 2: Share Your Passion

You've already tapped into your love of choral music—now it is time to share it. Discuss how choral music has made a profound and meaningful impact in your life. Recall personal memories or anecdotes that evoke something from within you, such as enthusiasm, hope, even sadness. Ask the prospect why music is important to her/him. This sharing creates an immediate bond that will provide the basis for your relationship and gives you valuable information about the prospect.

STEP 3: Share Your Purpose

Share your chorus's values and listen for what the prospect values to see if they align. For example, if socio-economic audience diversity is one of your values, bring into the conversation that your ticket prices and venue selections ensure equity and access for all audience members. Or, if your chorus values furthering the choral art form, mention your dedication to commissioning new works and your training program for young choral conductors. Does your prospect share these values?

Steps 2 & 3 "qualify" the candidate, meaning his/her answers help you determine whether your enthusiasm, passion, and general purpose are shared. This cultivation phase should involve numerous non-transaction based encounters (meaning, don't ask for anything), such as meetings, phone calls, personal notes, emails, lunches, concerts, rehearsals, etc.

During one such meeting with a prospective donor, I discovered that she valued family and tradition and loved the holiday season for these reasons. This information provided the basis for soliciting her to underwrite our annual holiday concert. We matched values and purpose. With a corporate prospect, I discovered that their website touted such values as exceptional customer service and product quality. By sharing that we have mutual values, a financial partnership was formed.

It can take a year for prospects to qualify you. Do you share their values? Do you meet their need to give back to the community? Do they trust, respect, and like you and your chorus?

STEP 4: Solve a Problem (aka "The Ask")

State the problem your chorus is trying to solve based on your values and determine if the donor wants to help solve the problem. Notice I didn't say mention your needs statement or case statement. This is fundraising jargon that too often detracts from incorporating your chorus's values into the solicitation or conversation.

Consider these two scenarios and then choose the more compelling problem and solution (or "ask"):

1. Our chorus needs to build an audience base in a relatively new community comprised of urban, suburban, and rural constituents. So, we've programmed a choral concert that should be easy to market and that will appeal to the masses. Would you consider sponsoring this concert?

2. Our community is so new that it doesn't yet have an established gathering place, such as a park or gym, where residents of all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds can come together. As you know, our chorus believes in serving diverse audiences. Our solution is to put on a fun and exciting concert that will engage families from throughout this new community. Would you like to help us unite our community through music?

I'd give, wouldn't you? The second approach is clearly more compelling because it:

  • States the problem
  • Qualifies the chorus as capable and interested in solving this problem based on its stated values
  • Identifies a solution to the problem

Now it's time to sit back and listen. Does the donor commiserate with the problem and agree with your solution? Does he/she have other ideas or solutions? Often, this dialogue turns into a strategy/brainstorming discussion about other ideas, people who might be able to help solve the problem, how to fix this problem with a long-term solution (i.e. multi-year gift), etc. and finally, with a donor who is ready to make an investment of time and money.

I find that this sort of values-based fundraising strategy works in all situations—for education programs, concert underwriting, capital campaigns, or commission sponsorships—and at all giving ranges. It works for individual solicitations, grant proposals, special events, or direct mail appeals. It simply works.

If I've done my job well, I've succeeded in helping people find a match between the needs of my chorus and the donor's desire to give back to their community. Most people want to make a difference. After all, isn't that what we all value?


This article is adapted from The Voice, Fall 2006.